Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg Joins LeBron James in Rare NBA Hi...

By Cole SullivanShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

The Dallas Mavericks haven’t gotten off to the start they hoped for this season, but they picked up a big 118-115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night in an NBA Cup matchup, improving to 5-12.

Dallas has been operating without Kyrie Irving all season as he continues to rehab his torn ACL, and Anthony Davis, who has missed several weeks with a calf strain.

The bright spot for the team has been rookie and No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, who led the charge against New Orleans with a career-high 29 points.

In 32 minutes of action, Flagg recorded 29 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals while shooting 12-for-19 from the field.

His performance made him the second youngest player in NBA history to have a game with 25-plus points, five-plus rebounds, and five-plus assists in a regular-season game, joining Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. James accomplished the feat three times as the youngest player in league history after being drafted straight out of high school.

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NBA fans reacted to the historic feat:

"Still, it’s crazy to see a high schooler-level talent dominating NBA stats… the league is wild," a fan said.

Someone else added, "Pretty good company for Cooper Flagg!"

Another person wrote, "Something to look forward to for the next decade."

"THE MAINE EVENT. HECK YEAH COOP!" One more fan commented.

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Cooper Flagg has faced some early criticism, largely due to the extremely high expectations placed on him as the No. 1 overall pick and what he accomplished in just one season at Duke. Despite that, he’s had a stellar start through the Mavericks’ first 17 games.

Flagg has shown incredible versatility, playing as a point guard, a forward, and guarding nearly every position on the court at times. He’s currently averaging 16.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game.

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